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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Enthusiastic about English

One part of the job that I find dreadfully monotonous is called "immigration." Because our school is a camp, the youngsters (or adults, depending on the program) are first taken to the gym to be given an orientation that all but 3 students talk through without listening to a word. Always a great sign that the students will be attentive, although, the orientation is completely dull. After which the students are taken to their dormitories, followed by a trip to "the airport." Yep, they go to the airport. It's not a real airport. That would be amazing, but instead they are taken to the room which is setup to look like the immigration desks when one flies internationally. They are going through immigration as a symbol that they are officially leaving Korea and entering into an English only school. But of course, the first words they hear after "immigration" are in Korean, so it doesn't really make the magic in the room stick. The kids are typically terrified. They stare at us as if we are aliens, trembling in their school uniform booties afraid we might get hungry and start to eat them. We ask simple questions, "how are you?" "What's your name?" "Whats your favorite sport?" etc. Generally its a struggle and I forget what questions I've already asked and what question I asked them 5 minutes ago when we both spaced out, she because she didn't know the answer and she has been pretending to be thinking about it rather than saying I don't know, and me because I have asked this set of questions about thirty times already in last half hour.

One student yesterday surprised me however yesterday. Her English was a much higher level than the others and she was excited when answering the questions. So excited in fact, she didn't want our little interview to end. Instead of walking away when I had finished, she began to examine me.
Me: "What do you do for fun?"
Student: "I play my favorite computer game."
"Whats your favorite computer game?"
"Starbell" (or something like that. I didn't really understand and I didn't really want to know)
"Great!" I said feigning interest.
"Teacher, what is your favorite computer game?"
(Stunned....What, she's asking me a question?) "uhh.. I don't like computer games."
(she stares at me like I'm an alien. Everyone loves computer games!")
I continue- "but my husband plays World of Warcraft."
"What's that teacher?"
"It's a fantasy game."
(she stares at me again)
I continue, "it has elves and things in it."
"What are elves?"
"you know, those magic people with pointy ears."
"you mean aliens?"
"Yes, yes, aliens, that's exactly what I mean." I lie. I don't think I can explain a game I never play, nor explain an elf from an alien right now. "Have a great day!" I say pushing her along.

So, I'm not a perfect teacher, as you can see, but at least I have a story from it.

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Welcome

Thank you for visiting our blog. Originally, this blog started as a template for my (Vanessa) thoughts. Over time, it has evolved to be a travel memoir and a general journal for our( my husband and my) life together. Kyle and I have been married for nearly 4 years now, but have been together, forever, since December 2000. We are so lucky to have found true love, and thank God everyday for our many blessings. We are from Texas but have been transported across the world to teach English in Korea for an indefinite amount of time. The culture of Korea is interesting and different and always provides great writing material. If you would like to follow us on this wild and crazy ride, please subscribe above. Once again thank you, and we would love to hear from you!

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My favorite quotes

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain."

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost" JRR Tolkien

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~ Elmer Davis

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." Martin Luther King jr.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. -Confucius

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but rather we are Spiritual Beings having a human experience - anonymous

Imagination is more important than knowledge, for whilst knowledge points to all there is, imagination points to all there could be. Albert Einstein

"Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. " ~ Cadet Maxim

The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions ~ Oliver Wendell

The cavity which suffering carves into our souls will one day also be the receptacle of joy.Neil A. Maxwell

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."- MLK

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -- Maya Angelou

No Difference / Shel Silverstein

Small as a peanut Big as a giant,

We're all the same size

When we turn off the light.

Red black or orange,

Yellow or white

We all look the same

When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way

To make everything right

Is for God to just reach out

And turn off the light!

To the dull mind all nature is leaden. To the illumined mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light.- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If the only tool we have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." Abraham Maslow"The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people." Napoleon

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” Pablo Neruda

"The world doesn't come to the clever folks; it comes to the stubborn, obstinate, one idea at a time people".Mary Roberts Rinehart

More quotes

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. - Marianne Williamson

"I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we too, will be remembered not for our victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit."-President John F. Kennedy

"Listen to the MUSTN'T, child,

Listen to the DON'Ts

Listen to the SHOULDN'Ts

The IMPOSSIBLES,

the WON'Ts

Listen to the NEVER HAVEs

Then listen close to me--

Anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be."

Shel Silverstein

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.Marie Curie

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” (Pablo Neruda)

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close. ~Pablo Neruda

Hope is like a bird that senses the dawn and carefully starts to sing while it is still dark. - Anonymous

If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. Thomas Edison

Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind. - Sri Ramana Maharsh

Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.- Robert R. Updegraff